I don’t really care for smartwatches. The ones that most interest me, thus far at least, have been ones like the Withings or Hoptroff that integrate a smartwatch feature into an analog watch. Well, the LG G Watch flipped that technique, taking the look of an analog watch and integrating it into a full blown smartwatch. It is, in my opinion, the best looking smartwatch out there.
Who doesn’t like a little glow in their lives? I think that may be what Ziiiro is hoping for with the release of the Metalic version of the Ziiiro Eclipse. The updated version offers one completely new color and new stainless mesh straps on their two hand watch which uses a ring of lume to illuminate the time, and a bit of your night life.
I am not a fan of the direction of most smart watches. I don’t need another screen on my wrist to give me my texts and emails. If the notification is so important, then I will look at my phone or computer. But I do see the utility in getting some notifications, especially if it is in a fairly unobtrusive manner. And this is where connected analog watches enter the field. Devices like the Nevo Watch connect to your smart phone and display limited information in the background, while the primary look of the watch is an analog watch.
With SIHH behind us, and Basel around the corner, there are lots of beautiful, complicated, and intricate watches being introduced. But there is something really nice about a simple watch done well, and the Alpina Startimer Pilot Big Date Professional is a simple watch, done really, really well.
Welcome back to our regular feature, the Watch Video Rewind. In this series, we bring to light videos we feel are interesting and worth sharing out with our readers. Today, in honor of Valentines Day being yesterday, I am going to highlight a few videos that get into one of the reasons for my love of watches, namely beautifully crafted intricate machines, ‘watch porn’ if you will. Not that I can afford any of these timepieces.
Welcome to the Valentine’s Day edition of Watching the Web. If you are reading this and forgot to get your significant other something, go ahead and bookmark the page and come back later and go get something. Something preferably watch related. And with that Public Service Announcement out of the way, we will dive into our regular feature, pointing you toward interesting watch related articles from across the internet and popular posts from our own pages. Today, we have two articles from Watch Time, one on the top women’s watches from a few years back and the other a selection of watches worn by US Presidents (just in time for President’s Day); as well as an article from A Blog To Watch with ways to keep feed your love of watches without blowing your budget. From our own site, we have articles featuring new watches by Shinola for Filson and an older article on Seiko movements.
Whytes Watches Mk1 02I enjoy a nice, slim, Bauhaus inspired, minimalist 3 hander as much as the next guy. I have more than one in my assortment of watches, but I see them too often to have them really pique my interest most days. What I do enjoy is seeing something different when it is well done, attractive and wearable. I see these qualities when I look at the Whytes Watches Mk 1 models, the Pioneer and Discoverer, currently seeking funding on Kickstarter.
I am a fan of Trintec, after finding one of their designs on Kickstarter, then reaching out to the brand for a review on the Zulu-03, the same watch we have up for our current monthly give-away. The brand built the first aviation instrument inspired clock, and now makes aviation and nautical inspired watches and clocks. Their latest watch, the Trintec Zulu-07 Professional, is currently on Kickstarter.
If you are not familiar with Magrette, you need to be. I was presented one as a most unexpected gift this last holiday season, and it has become my most worn watch of the year (yes, I am tracking what I wear on a daily basis). The brand is from New Zealand, so that alone gives it a different feel, but they produce really nice looming watches that generally feature cushion cases and very readable designs. A Panerai for the masses, but not an homage to the Italian watch maker. Right now, there is a sale of Magrette Watches on Touch of Modern, a members only sale site that I have used from time to time (join through this link if you are not a member).
Hoptroff is a British Watchmaker who is doing very interesting complications with electronic watches tied to your smart phone. Instead of trying to do everything, and losing the look of a conventional watch in the process, the watches specialize is a specific function, and use the hands and subdials of the watch to convey the information. The Hoptroff Hotblack line of watches is available with options to keep you up to date on football (soccer for those in the US) scores, stock prices, the direction and time of day for Muslim prayers, and important notifications.
